Haridwar temple stampede: Video shows man shouting 'GO BACK' before horrifying incident kills 6

Mansa Devi temple stampede: A horrifying stampede occurred in a temple in Uttarakhand's Haridwar on Sunday (May 27) in which at least six people have been reported killed so far and multiple injured. A video has been circulating on the internet showing people stuck in the chaos and being asked to go back as the crowd swelled from all directions. The incident occurred around 9 in the morning at the hilltop Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar, where hundreds of devotees were present at the temple atop the Shivalik Hills at a height of over 500 feet.

The police said the stampede occurred due to a rumour of an electric current on the stairs of the temple. The rumour triggered chaos and led to a stampede at the temple premises. A video of the chaos showed a massive crowd of people, including children and women, making their way to the temple. Meanwhile, the circulated video showed a man frantically appealing to the people in the crowd to go back, and another showed a person describing the chaos and showing children struggling to get space in the crush. The temple, dedicated to Goddess Mansa Devi, is one of the five sacred sites or Panch Tirthas of Haridwar.

Probe launched

The Haridwar Police have said that around 35 people were rushed to the hospital, and six of them died. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a magisterial probe has been ordered.

"A stampede broke out at the Mansa Devi temple in the morning because of a rumour…We have ordered a magisterial probe into the incident, and those responsible for spreading the rumour will face strict action," Dhami said.

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his grief as he wrote on the social media platform X, "Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected."